Glad you found the Chuuk plate. And its a good one, because for the longest time the island was called Truk. Everything was "Truk". They are now going back to their traditional name in everything but the airport, of all things. Randy says that the international letters for Chuuk is stil TRK, or something...anyway still Truk. Weird, huh?
Still on the lookout here for you. Too much of what we have just says US Gov't. Boring!
Hope Ike avoids your area. Positive thoughts to all in the hurricane's paths.
Yokwe,
Shari
Tis the Season
Glad that you didn't get any more damage John. I thought about you all there many times as we watched the news.
Thanks Jeannie for your prayers and thoughts. Connie and I evacuated with the volunteer evacuation, knowing the mandatory would be right behind that. We headed to San Antonio. Connie and her daughter and their little dog in her truck. Me in a rental car with my little dog Tink. I rented the car one way because 3 years ago when Rita came through here, we had to stay in SA for 3 weeks because there was no power in Beaumont. Because we left early, traffic was better than normal and we all arrived safely at Mom's on Saturday afternoon.
Turned in the car Sunday. We stayed at Mom's house and had no cable or internet, but we did have power and local channels. They didn't give us nearly enough news, (we are avid storm watchers) but we watched as Gustav grew and grew and gained strength.
Then Gustav made a northward turn. Spared Beaumont, thank the Lord. I feel for the coast of Louisiana as they got the brunt of the storm.
For 2 days, I tried to catch a ride back with the evacuees but was unsuccessful with that. Ended up coming back with Connie and her daughter. She has a single cab truck. We were like sardines for 4 1/2 hours, but we made it home safely at midnight last night.
Thanks again for thinking of us.
Janet
Janet, so glad you were spared any serious damage...a few days inconvenience is much better than staying and starring a storm in the face. If you hadn't left it would have hit Beaumont...that's just the way things seem to go.
I feel for the N'Orleaners...as if they need more of this! But must admit to being glad that you, Connie and the Fergusons are all safe.
Yokwe,
Shari
Thanks Shari. I'm glad we were spared also. I count my blessings daily.
Janet
Janet, so glad to hear that you and Connie and families are OK. I was very concerned for you. Praise the Lord you are OK!
What a blessing that so many were spared. While it seems NOLA evacuated in vain....what about all the infrastructure that is still not functioning....electricity, sewage, etc....things that I deem pretty important.
You are so right Shari, If one is prepared the worst will pass them by.
There were many prayers offered for your safety and homes kept intact. Thank God for positive answers.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Adding my puff to yours Hetty, I hope everyone keeps safe...
Blow harder!!
katiebear
Dances, blowing, prayers, preparation, and lots and lots of positive thought. Whatever it takes...be safe everyone!
Yokwe,
Shari
Now, Friday evening, the Navy forecasters seem to believe Ike's going a little south of Florida, like, right over Key West, then on up into the Gulf towards, umm, the NW.
Ike's aiming at Provodenciales, where, when I was there a few years ago, many different people adamantly declared, "We do not get hurricanes here, the island is low and does not attract them." I feel sorry for the encampment of several hundred Hatians that do all the gardening and hotel maid work. They live in dusty little shacks. But I guess they're better off than the Hatians in Haiti.
There's always someone worse off, and someone better off, I guess.
And hurricanes happen. They always have. I've been in too many eyes to count. It's just lousy weather for a day, or night, then a lot of cleaning up. And we'll see if the Navy guys are right...
Hey everyone!!
Wow, more than 3 named storms all at the same time...good luck to all of us....storms we dodge someone else gets pounded with...this is the busiest time for Caribbean weather and it is surely the season....We have prepared the place, shutters up and will come down when I'm ready to put up Christmas decorations....can't rely on any forecast saying North of us, South, East or way North of Cuba... We all have to be prepared and be ready within day's notice....
We are all thankful for this forum and the ability to corrospond(sp) with those who care...We all appreciate the thoughts and prayers, knowing that what comes this way will most likely end up your way before it's fizzled out.....whatever the Cat. number is, some places can't take any more rain or wind as housing and development are as different as day and night, between islands....
I would be diving tonight with our house guests and my bride but spent the afternoon in a dental chair and can't grip a mouthpiece.....liquid dinner tonight....not soup either.....
more to follow over the weekend....thanks shari for the pics.....I must get to YOUR water and shoot those rascals!!
holding up in Cayman....Mola, stay on guard......ass kickin time in the Caribbean...
ferg
'
That's a drastic way to diet my friend!
Will be thinking of everyone, not that I don't always.
Christi
Ike's gone by me to the north, and is visiting the Turks and Caicos, where I stayed for several months a few years back. I stopped asking after six or seven people on Provo staunchly claimed that Provo does not attract hurricanes because it's not mountainous. They have had an amazing, to me horrifying, building boom for more than ten years. The sad part is the large Haitian shanty town. The Haitians are the hotel maids and groundskeepers. I gave a lady a ride home one day that I had a rental car, and their dusty village (read shanty town slum) was not a pretty sight, an extreme contrast to the wealthy American standard resorts.
When Hugo destroyed St Croix, the people who stayed all pulled for each other, after the first few days of chaos. But no one prepared, no one was afraid for that one, the first and worst. Well, there hadn't been a hit for thirty years, anyway.
At least with a hurricane, there's a time to prepare. Earthquakes? I don't like to think about them, but I am careful of small things like not hanging a picture framed with glass over my bed. We're supposedly overdue here in the Virgins for a major shaker.
And you guys were successful with your southing. Hmmm.
Ah, enough disaster for one post. Distant lightning tonight, and no breeze. I'm eventually going to want air conditioning for sleeping...
That is a very interesting statement, about people seeing a home now less as a shelter than a showpiece. Very true I think.
I was watching a forecast that basically said the direction of the storm after it passes into the gulf will all depend on the low hanging over the midwest, and so it could either turn north and into the Louisiana area, even as far as the Florida Panhandle, or keep on a straight track and then head for the Texas/Mexico border area.
We will know more in a day or so.
Meanwhile here is the latest spaghetti track.
National Hurricane Center and Navy both figure Ike's going westward.
Didn't we have someone here that was moving to Salt Cay? He probably has nothing left. Closer to the horrid eye.
I was in Hugo. We got the eye, and the island was totally destroyed. There was zero green vegitation left. Even the grass was scoured from the ground. The topsoil was gone, just sandy gravel everywhere. No twigs on the trees, the smallest branches left were about 1/4, 1/2 an inch big. St Thomas, fourty miles away, got some damage, but didn't lose electricity. Fourty miles is a long, long way, sometimes.
Hey tropic kids....just got in from mowing the weeds and enjoyed a bevvie while cooling down...Sitting there watching the counter-clockwise rotation of low dark clouds, thinking of the western edge of Ike going by....thinking that just 200 miles due North of us right now, the same IKE is mashing up Cuba and people far less fortunate than most of us....there is 2 forty foot containers at the end of our road that is collecting donations for relief, clothes, canned goods, etc....that will ship sometime next week after the all clear is given...We are emptying the closets and drawers of all the BIG BOY and Girl sizes(don't need them any longer!) and hoping it may help, even just a bit....
Cayman is still under a TS Watch, everyone is still boarded up from Gustav last week....Fairly strong breeze and stronger gusts right now and waves are getting bigger on the West side....
we have been without internet for the past few days but we are back up and running now....Good Luck gang, we are entering the peak cane season in the Caribbean.....our thoughts and prayers are out to all in the path of Mother Nature....
Not sure if anyone has seen this website....I have just come across it and gives fairly accurate models....
www.stormpulse.com
meanwhile, stormcarib.com has all the info you need, posts and pictures from everyone affected.....some devastating shots from Mola's neck of the woods...check it out!!
Thanks for the posts gang,
ferg
Good news that you are safe. I know the thrill of disposing of previously needed clothing sizes. Whenever possible please keep us abreast of your weather conditions. It has become a habit to quickly seek Cayman when a storm is stirring somewhere.
Looks as though the coast of the Gulf is right in line again. There are those in Dallas that evacuated for Gustav that are still here and not planning to leave until Ike has dissepated.
I am blessed.
Christi
So glad you are safe, I hope all in Ikes' path keep safe and sound. Thank you for the link, John, it's a really good one and I check it like Christi does....
Aura Best, my friend...
Jen
We are now waiting to see what Lowell does. I am making bags for sand and Tony is clearing the piles of dirt which are next to where the new drain is goin in.
My friend in Las Vegas sent me a map with the projected path.
I'm going to help Tony move dirt!!
If I should go off for a day or two, don't worry, my house is a good shelter and we will be stocked up on food.
katiebear
Katiebear, hope you'll get a miss from Lowell, I'm going to start watching your part of the world.
J:, we're still getting lots of rain from Ike, there's a wave being pulled along by him, so you Island will be green and pretty. But your vis might go down some, ha. I remember not going diving if I heard the vis was 100 feet! too murky, lol
Thanks to this thread and others, my vision of our planet has been greatly broadened. No longer tunnel vision of my own area. Now with friends just about everywhere am always in a state of prayer for your safety. God bless all of you.
Christi
How wise you were to have been working on those ditches Katie - I sure hope you don't need them!
Aloha
Thank you, Jenn.
Yes, I'm sure glad we didn't put it off andy longer.
While I bought supplies in town, Tony finished clearing the piules of dirt and rocks which we were going to sift and return to the entry area. Decided it was better to move it as if it gets rained on, it's concrete!! Very hard to move or sift. So that is done and there's a big ditch in the middle of the entry - it will make a huge difference if it rains.
And it's clouding up and the wind is starting to blow. Tony just left and we said maybe he'll be back tomorrow, maybe not but I'm in good shape here.
The hardware store people were a bit surprised - I bought 30 meters of heavy clear plastic and two tarps. Now I'm set to block the doors and windows where they tend to let rain in.
Sifting the dirt allowed us to get another tire-filled rock path almsot completed.
I also stocked up on chicken legs and oatmeal so the dogs and I won't go hungry.
I'll keep you posted as I am able and am praying that all of us stay safe.
katiebear
It's been sprinkling off and on for about an hour. The wind is gusting.
I'm sure glad I did not decide to wait until tomorrow to get supplies from town.
I've been putting up plastic. Am as prepared as is possible
At least this time i shouldn't have to be digging a trench at 3am.
Just went to look outside and the rain has started to pour down. Time for more plastic.
katiebear
katiebear, according to weather underground, you're getting a preview, the storm's not due near you until Thursday.
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/ep200813_5day.html#a_topad
Stay dry and safe!
Mm
Good mornin gang!
While Ike is finally moving away from Cuba, the forecast path has him heading directly to Corpus Christi Tx. Cuba is just devestated having back to back 'canes in 2 weeks...I wish Texas good luck with Ike as it looks to be a Cat 3 on arrival 1-2 a.m. Sat. Get final preparations done NOW!
Attached is a pic from the middle of town on my way home last night...still having strong winds and big seas, rain on and off...will be tapering off now but the diving is out for at least the next few days....
good luck and stay safe.
j
You're right Mm. We had a heavy but short rain yesterday afternoon.
It's clear again today. The storm is still moving in our direction but the main thrust will go south of us if the course does not change. We are anticipating a lot of rain, if nothing else. And with our topography of twenty to thirty arroyos in the mountains draining into the Mulege River, a lot of rain means a lot of flooding. I'm up high enough that I get lots of water instead of lots of mud but, with a heavy rain, our road gets flooded and we usually lose eletricity, water and phone service, at least for awhile. I have prepared as best I can and am quite tired so now we just wait and see.
katiebear
Ouch! John, is that a boat channel? Since you have been "technically missed", I would sure hate to see a hit. Gentle rain here the last 2 days. The weekend is predicted for some backlash.
We like to vacation in a condo that is situated directly on the beach on Mustang Island which is a barrier island of Corpus Christi. Looks like that maybe in jeopardy for sure. Of course, the main concern is lives lost.
I have friends here who are, in essence, rebuilding for the third or fourth time. They keep getting insurance - I don't know how. I've worked floods as well as hurricnes and fires. I, too, an mystified about why people continue to build and rebuild in flood plains. Flooding is often an unnecessary calamity.
We've had rain again this morning - off and on. Tony, my friend who works for me, made the trip from his house on our muddy, nasty roads and dug enough trench that it goes to the edge of the arroyo, then left to resume care of his extended family. I guess I should say the rest of his extended family as doing this for me was family-help not employee-help.
Current maps show Lowell going further south. Which would mean less rain for us. Good news for us.
I'm cooking a big pan of food for the dogs. I'm too sore from working with Tony yesterday to do anything else but I'm happy about being as prepared as we are able to be at this time.
Please say an extra prayer for Tony and is family. He already has a house full of relatives who've had to evacuate their homes. I fear it will get worse before it gets better.
katiebear
All my friends who have husbands want a Tony!! He is a treasure. The son of my heart.
It looks like we are going to luck out on this. Knock on wood.
The currant map shows Lowell passing over the Baja just north of Cabo San Lucas with most of it well south of us.
We got some rain last night and are socked in with fog today. Spooky but calm and not raining now.
I slept about twelve hours. just exhausted after all the preparations. The plastic on the back door to the kitchen did have water in it which is how I am sure it rained some last night. All my rooms are dry!!
The center of the storm is still west of us so we may get more rain later.
If you are looking at the weather map of Baja you can see a big bay about half-way up the Baja on the eastern side. That is the Bay of Conception, which has some of the worlds most beautiful beaches. It is about twenty miles soulth of Mulege. Mulege is actuallly inland a couple of miles, I am in a "suburb" right on the coast. I'm up a hill, less than 1/4 of a mile from the Sea, protected by a slightly higher hill to the southeast. I'm up enough to be safe when the river rises and covers the road.
I'm so relieved I may go back to slepp. Then again the dogs handled their nervousness by getting hold of my purse and scattering my papers all over the floor and breaking my favorite lamp (more material for a mosiac) so I have some clean-up to do. Better after the dogs than after a hurricane!!
katiebear